Scottish Electrification updates & discussion

[Starmill]

Wonder how the lack of first class will go down with the regular punters on that service - even if the next one is 15 minutes later!?

Shouldn't be a problem as long as long as this is made clear in advance.

 

[Railsigns]

The energisation notice for Queen Street - Newbridge now gives a date of 28th May, which implies that it never happened on April 9th as originally planned.

 

[InOban]

So we can assume that it will be several weeks after that before a 380 appears on a scheduled service.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

The energisation notice for Queen Street - Newbridge now gives a date of 28th May, which implies that it never happened on April 9th as originally planned.

Well it certainly isn't energised in Queen Street today

(attached photo of earthed OHLE)

 

[InOban]

A 7 week delay at such a late stage is surprising, and worrying in terms of project management.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Out of curiosity, do the 380s have power sockets?

 

[IanXC]

Out of curiosity, do the 380s have power sockets?

They do indeed.

 

[Class 170101]

I haven't read anywhere that any of the route had been made live or any test or driver training trains run.
K

Seems like I might have to delay my trip to see te wires in use until later in the year.

 

[snowball]

Press release:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/a71-west-calder-to-close-for-completion-works/

The A71 will close for a period of four days next weekend to enable work to resurface the carriageway of the road bridge next to the station in West Calder.

Network Rail has worked with West Lothian Council to put in place an appropriate ‘all vehicles’ diversion during the closure which will be in place from 23.59 on Thursday, May 12, until 23.59 on Monday, May 15. The A71will re-open fully to two-way traffic overnight Monday into Tuesday.

The resurfacing work will mark the completion of the 16 week programme to demolish and reconstruct the bridge over the railway in preparation for the electrification of the line.

Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s head of programme management for the Shotts line electrification, said: “We have been mindful of the impact that closing the A71 has for both road users and those communities adjacent to the proposed diversion route and will complete this work with minimal disruption.

“We are grateful for the patience shown by the community in West Calder, and those who would normally have used this route, while the road has been unavoidably closed to enable the bridge replacement work.”

This is in accordance with the previous press release quoted in #1379.

 

[QueensCurve]

Well it certainly isn't energised in Queen Street today

(attached photo of earthed OHLE)

I suggest that is a :cry: not a .

 

[snowball]

I suggest that is a :cry: not a .

Depends how near PV got to the wires.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Depends how near PV got to the wires.

The wires are singing to me (or was it someone in an orange suit?) that they may not now present a hazard until late June. So still OK for the golf umbrella and the metallic party balloon.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Work seems well advanced on the Cumbernauld-Polmont route.
Masts pretty much complete Cumbernauld-Greenhill Lower, with earth wire up for the first mile or so.
No registration gear though.
Wiring almost complete at Greenhill Lower from the E&G line.
After that the bases are well advanced, with construction evident around Carmuirs but pretty much complete up to Falkirk Grahamston and on to the wires at Polmont.

On the E&G between Polmont and Newbridge all the wiring is up, but to my amateur eye there seem to be some temporary connections in places.

The 22-mile gap between Midcalder and Holytown junctions is extensively piled, especially the eastern half.
Overall maybe 60%, with much work in progress.
The piles have natty orange covers.
Surprisingly there are some of these east of Rutherglen on the WCML, so some OHLE alterations must be coming.
I think Midcalder Jn has had new steelwork to cater for the Shotts line.

 

[NotATrainspott]

Would it be correct to assume that Cumbernauld-Polmont will be energised before the line to Stirling?

 

[Mordac]

Would it be correct to assume that Cumbernauld-Polmont will be energised before the line to Stirling?

Cumbernauld to Greenhill was included in the core EGIP works. So you'd hope so.

 

[mcmad]

Yes, the line to polmont is the first deliverable then (a year later?) the lines to Dunblane & Alloa.

The electrification from the E&G to Greenhill lower was part of EGIP.

 

[route:oxford]

Yes, the line to polmont is the first deliverable then (a year later?) the lines to Dunblane & Alloa.

The electrification from the E&G to Greenhill lower was part of EGIP.

Where is Grangemouth in the plan?

I noticed that the masts were up as far as the eye could see from the junction.

 

[Clansman]

I didn't think Grangemouth was part of the electrification plan at all, but rather the junction that leads to it from Falkirk Grahamston station as terminating trains use it to reverse.

 

[Macwomble]

Cumbernauld to Greenhill was included in the core EGIP works. So you'd hope so.

Grangemouth branch is used to turn around the Glasgow QS to Grahamston terminators so needs to be wired...at least at the start of the branch.

Oops...Clansman beat me to it.

 

[Railsigns]

Surprisingly these are some of these east of Rutherglen on the WCML, so some OHLE alterations must be coming.

Rutherglen East Junction is being remodelled with 70 mph crossovers in conjunction with signalling renewals.

 

[Scotrail88]

What is the current crossover speed at Rutherglen. Any further improvements due here - after all is the bottle neck for the west coast plus argyle line services and that's not including all the other services.
As aside - any views on the recent signal changes in Motherwell and if improved things? Whifflet lunes new signals still covered

 

[Altnabreac]

I didn't think Grangemouth was part of the electrification plan at all, but rather the junction that leads to it from Falkirk Grahamston station as terminating trains use it to reverse.

Grangemouth is down for wiring to allow the Tesco intermodals to be electric loco operated. It is funded in current control period and due to be complete by December 2018.

 

[takno]

What is the current crossover speed at Rutherglen. Any further improvements due here - after all is the bottle neck for the west coast plus argyle line services and that's not including all the other services.
As aside - any views on the recent signal changes in Motherwell and if improved things? Whifflet lunes new signals still covered

Rutherglen East crossovers are 40mph (which is the ones under discussion), Rutherglen Central is 35 DF-UF and UF-DS, and 20 DS-US

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Rutherglen East Junction is being remodelled with 70 mph crossovers in conjunction with signalling renewals.

I was surprised to find Midcalder Jn was 70mph in all three directions.
That's the max line speed on the Shotts route!

 

[snowball]

It's been claimed in a thread in the rolling stock subforum that the wires are now expected to go live on 23 June. That's 2.5 months later than the previous date.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2987448&postcount=64

 

[PaxVobiscum]

That's what I have been told as well, but I notice that the earth bonding at the Queen Street feed (photo of which I attached in post no.1474) had been removed a few days ago - new photo from Monday below:

 

[QueensCurve]

Rutherglen East Junction is being remodelled with 70 mph crossovers in conjunction with signalling renewals.

That is good news. It is a pity Greenhill Lower Junction was remodelled as a 50mph turnout on the Caledonian route. Now that it is wired, the 70mph turnout presumably won't be reinstated any time soon. :cry::cry:

I was surprised to find Midcalder Jn was 70mph in all three directions.
That's the max line speed on the Shotts route!

All the more surprising that Greenhill Lower should be 50mph on the Caledonian.

 

[mcmad]

Its only 55mph off the back of the junction so not much point putting in faster S&C but no, it won't be renewed anytime soon.

 

[QueensCurve]

Its only 55mph off the back of the junction so not much point putting in faster S&C but no, it won't be renewed anytime soon.

I don't recall this being the case in the 1980s in fact I was always amazed The Clansman joined the route out of Queen St without drawing reign.

 

[InOban]

I have discovered that the delay in energising QS to Newbridge is because they realised that in addition to the ensuring that all the bridges etc met the new regulations, there were a large number of other bits of steel adjacent to the railway, every one of which has to be assessed for compliance! My informant confirmed the 23rd June.